Category Archives: Wichita

I hope you will join myself (Emerald City Tangles) and my dear friend, Diana McCann (The Tangle Goes On) as we share our love of Zentangle with the City of Wichita on Final Friday, April 29, 2016. We will be exhibiting our Zentangle art work at Visit Wichita, 515 S. Main St., Suite 115, Wichita, KS, from 6:00 – 9:00 pm, Friday, April 29, 2016. There will be demonstrations, artwork to admire, artwork for sale, light refreshments, and lots of good times as our friends, family and collectors gather to celebrate with us all that we love about Zentangle!! Don’t miss it! One attendee will be the lucky winner of an original Zentangle art piece. Make sure you when you arrive that you get your ticket for that drawing!

I think I’ve finally recouperated from the “ZenXpressions: A Showcase of Zentangle Inspired Art”! Whew!! What a crazy time we had. Over 40 pieces were on display and we had a wonderful showing!

Here are the names of our artist winners: First Place – Brenda Smith (Painted Mandala on Canvas); Second Place – Paulette Mattingly (Zendala); Third Place – Tessa Reed (Panda and Bamboo). Unfortunately (my fault), I wasn’t thinking and didn’t take pictures of all of the pieces. I’ve made a note for next year’s show to do that!! In fact, I’m thinking maybe next year a little catalog of the entries might be in order.

The People’s Choice award had over 100+ votes come in and Tessa Reed was the winner!

Two of our artists sold pieces – Congratulations Kae Decker and Diana McCann! How exciting!!

And we sold enough of the handmade ornaments and bookmarks to be able to donate $100 to AFSP.org (Kansas). As you will recall, a portion of the entry fees and all proceeds from the ornaments/bookmarks would be donated to a local chapter for suicide prevention, which turned out to be quite fitting as September was designated as Suicide Awareness Month.

Just want to remind you that our tangled art show, ZenXpressions: A Showcase of Zentangle Inspired Art, is only a few weeks away! If you have not yet submitted your application, please download it now and get it in! Athough the $10 entry fee still applies, I am waiving the additional fee for late submissions because I want to have the place packed.

We have a number of pieces that will be shown, but I could use more!! Don’t worry if you think it’s not perfect…that’s the whole point. Many people still don’t know what Zentangle is all about and they won’t look at your work with the critical eye you give it. So, help me out here! You can bring your entry form and pieces to me or to the gallery directly.

I’m so excited to tell you that the first Viva Art & Vino class at Three Pea Consignment was a success!! Seven students were in attendance and we laughed, had fun, drank wine, and painted…with a lot of paint! At the end of the class we took all the left over paint and put it on a blank canvas that I’ll use in the future for a new painting — so everyone will have a part in that! Maybe I’ll use it for my “Winged Dog”. Of course it looks a bit more like a deer than a dog, but that’s okay…it’s just a sketch.

I also wanted to share one of the things I’m working on, a combination of layer painting and Zentangle. Technically it’s considered a “ZIA or Zentangle Inspired Art” piece. If I get it done before September, I may hang it at the ZenXpressions art show that will be held on Final Friday, September 25, 2015, at the Tessera Fine Art Gallery. Don’t forget, there are only three months to go for you to complete your projects for that show…so get tangling!!

I’m also offering a FREE workshop to kick off the Viva Art & Life series. In it you’ll learn to create your own Dream/Vision Board. YOU MUST REGISTER to attend this workshop as there is a class limit of 25 for it.

Torn Face Collage

I’m also working on “Viva Art & Life Soapbox”, a video series that you can get a free subscription to.

It will be a video email that you’ll receive once a week with an artist’s quote for inspiration and a little thought from me. I’m not exactly sure when that will be ready to go, but I’ll let you know!

There has been a lot going on here lately! This Thursday, the first Viva Art & Vino class kicks off at Three Pea Consignment Shop and we’ve got a nice class roster going. I am looking forward to sharing but must admit I’m a little nervous. I’ve been teaching Zentangle classes now for three years and feel quite comfortable with that, but this is a new venture for me. I’ve loved art ever since I was little and now, finally, in my 60’s, I’m DOING IT! Part of my mission is to share this, so that people don’t have to wait that long to tap into their right brain creativity. I’m hoping that younger women will take time for themselves, to cultivate their creativity sooner. Women, especially, are tuned into working, taking care of their families, doing the shopping, laundry, cooking and all that goes along with either having a family or having to provide for themselves that they often don’t take time to nurture the person who they NEED to nuture — themselves. I know because I was one of them. I was so busy DOING for everyone else that I completely lost my identity and my creativity. So, PLEASE, PLEASE, take time to nurture yourself so that you have more to give to those you love.

Okay…off my soapbox 🙂

I wanted to share with you some of the pieces that I’ve been working on recently, I’ve peppered photos throughout this blog entry and they are now in the gallery. A

Torn Face Collage

So along with the Viva Art & Vino classes, I’m working on what I call Viva Art & Life. Working with my coach, Whitney Freya, has been such a wonderful experience. Before I started with her I was what I would call stiff and compelled. By that I mean, I was judgmental of myself and the work I was producing. I felt that to be an artist meant that I had to do perfect work, work that would be able to be sold, because wasn’t that the definition of an artist? Someone who was professional and could sell their work? I also was so crazy about making sure everything was clean and neat! I wasted a lot of paint (and time) because I would constantly be washing my brushes out or throwing things out. But with Whitney’s guidance through her Creatively Fit Coaching Program, I have thrown abandon to the wind (instead of the paint and canvas)…well, not completely, I still like to be somewhat tidy but nothing like I was, obsessed! Now I choose to be nonjudgmental, I choose to mix colors on the SAME paintbrush, I choose to paint over something if I don’t like it (rather than toss it)! My right brain has kicked in and I am learning to accept ME. Such a marvel. I have learned so much about myself in this process. Part of my coaching has been to use a journal for my scribble drawings, paper collages, sketches, etc. These tools have been so useful in my journey. And…. I now Am an ARTIST! Even if it’s just for me, my eyes alone. Even if I can’t sell it (LOL – I’ll give it away to my family for Christmas!). Even if it has to be painted over, because then I’ve learned a valuable lesson.

So, with that said, I’d like to begin sharing some of those tools and concepts with others as well. I will be sharing about the first Viva Art & Life workshop in the next couple of weeks. I am finishing up the syllabus for that workshop as I type. I’ll give you a hint – it will include drawing and painting mandalas. It will teach you how to mix colors, how to create mandalas, how to tap into your right brain creativity which will, in turn, help you to focus MORE on the things you want in your LIFE. You can read about MORE in the May 26, 2015, blog post. Here’s a portion from that blog post…

Stained Glass Window Painting in progress. Notice how I’ve painted over the Flower Power painting!

If you want MORE, where do you go???

When I say MORE, I’m talking about:

MORE MEANING in your life

MORE OPPORTUNITY in your life

MORE REJUVENATION in your life

MORE ENJOYMENT in your life

Won’t you JOIN me in this JOURNEY?? I can’t wait to walk the road with you!

Please note that “ZenXpressions: A Showcase of Zentangle Inspired Art” has had a date change. The new Final Friday date will be September 25, 2015. All other information is correct. Thank you for your understanding in this! B.

This art show is going to get the word out to the people of Wichita that Zentangle is taking over!! Let’s show them what Zentangle is all about!! My goal is to share the wonderful world we have become involved in and let them know that you don’t even have to know how to draw a straight line to be an artist! We are ALL ARTISTS, with creativity inside of us just waiting to be nurtured and let out.

Think about it…how many of you, when you first came to learn Zentangle said, “I can’t draw”, “I’m not an artist”, “I haven’t done any art since high school”, or…. “I remember loving to create when I was younger, but family and work got in the way and I just didn’t have time”, “I wanted to be creative but I never thought I was good enough”, “It takes too much money to buy materials”, or some other such thing?? But when you sat down and someone shared with you, you found a voice, a wellspring within you, a gleam of light showing you the way, and you realized that, “YES! I can create this wonderful piece of art!” Remember the fun and joy? How we looked at each other’s tiles and were so excited to see how everyone’s was different and unique?

Brenda Lee Shaver, CZT

I am so looking forward to having you participate in this great event.

CLICK HERE to find all the information you’ll need to participate and/or attend the show. SCROLL DOWN the page to download the event entry forms (there are two pages).

I’m counting on you to share with others you know who are Zentangle enthusiasts. Invite friends, family, and coworkers to the show. Share it on Facebook and other social media to help me spread the word. I could always use some volunteers as there is a lot to be done. If everyone can do one little thing, we can get this big thing done!! All my volunteers will get recognition!